Monsters

The first phase of the process: (searching for an object)

I’m asking people to keep their eyes open or to look out for a specific kind of object (described below). This object should preferably be found on the street. I’d like you to keep these objects and give them to me the next time I see you (which may not be for years).

Second phase of the process: (defining the presence of an object)

‘Monsters’ are those objects that challenge your gaze, that force you to look at them. They’re real monsters, not fictional ones. They’re objects you could imagine in your field of view, but there’s something odd, something dark about them. You might have found them on the street yourself. They’re not that outrageous; in fact, they’re fairly common, almost vulgar. You have to take a good look at them before you realise that they’re a bit weird. They don’t appear to have any use at all; you’d find it impossible to guess where they’re from or what they’ve been used for. They’re dull, lifeless, with no clue as to what they’re for. They’re crude and unpleasant: if someone dropped one into your hands, your first, knee-jerk reaction would be to drop it or to smile sheepishly and say ‘What’s this?’ They look like something, but they’re not; they’re not anything. But they exist. An unfortunate situation for some and a relief for others. As monsters, they threaten disappearance and suggest absence; they’re halfway between a body with pores and a pore without a body.